Leading regional housing association Bromford has retained its A+ stable credit rating from S&P Global Ratings. S&P highlighted Bromford’s “solid management expertise”, “prudent cost planning and financial headroom”, and “very strong liquidity” as key factors in their decision to maintain the A+ stable rating. The agency carried out its latest
Social housing provider A2Dominion is pursuing a new approach to property development, as part of a raft of changes being brought in by the Board and Executive Management Team. Going forward the 38,000-home housing association will focus on regeneration and the redevelopment of neighbourhoods which need the greatest amount of
A new affordable housing development has been officially opened in a Cotswold village. Gloucestershire-based housing association Bromford has completed the redevelopment of 14 former properties with 17 modern, energy efficient homes at Cross Tree Crescent in Kempsford. The new homes, which have all been let at social rent, the lowest
Scott Black, Chief Operating Officer for Places for People. “Today’s statement from the Chancellor has our unequivocal support, we need more new homes and there is no time to waste. This is one of the most pressing issues for the UK, for economic growth, for families across the UK, and
Regional housing association Bromford has finalised a new sustainable finance deal with NatWest as it continues its focus on the development of new affordable, energy efficient homes. The 50,000 home social landlord has secured a £200 million sustainability linked loan with NatWest, one of the housing sector’s most prominent lenders,
Together Housing has been named ‘housing association of the year’ at the Yorkshire and Humberside Energy Efficiency Awards 2024. The award reflects the social housing landlord’s ambitious plan to move over 30,000 of its homes across Yorkshire and Lancashire away from fossil fuels to renewable energy and lead the way
Homelessness is a concern for one in five people in the UK as public urge Government to build social homes – new study can reveal today 21% of people in the UK fear they or someone they know could become homeless in the next year“Talking’s over, it’s time to build”
Maidstone-based Golding Homes (Golding) has finalised the transfer of 180 affordable homes to NewArch Homes, a registered provider of social housing owned by a fund managed by Octopus Real Estate, a leading UK specialist real estate investor and lender. Located in Bexley, Dartford, Sevenoaks, and Wealden, the mix of 111
Building Better, the National Housing Federation-supported group of housing associations and councils working to increase the use of modern methods of construction (MMC), has added a new manufacturer to its MMC Category 1 framework. Building Better and Procurement for Housing (PfH) have signed up ZED PODS to their volumetric framework,
The UK’s leading social enterprise, Places for People has appointed Darren Dancey as the Development Managing Director for the South West. With over 30 years of experience within the property sector, Darren will prove instrumental in strengthening the region and delivering on key strategic business objectives. With extensive experience and
Leading regional housing association Bromford has retained its A+ stable credit rating from S&P Global Ratings. S&P highlighted Bromford’s “solid management expertise”, “prudent cost planning and financial headroom”, and “very strong liquidity” as key factors in their decision to maintain the A+ stable rating. The agency carried out its latest review of the Gloucestershire-based housing association earlier in July, examining the progress against its new strategy and business plan which sets out Bromford’s ambitions to build 11,000 new homes by 2032 and to invest £2 billion in maintaining and upgrading its existing homes, including improvements to make them more energy efficient. Bromford recently announced that it had entered into discussions with Flagship Housing Group to create one of the largest housing associations in the country, with 80,000 homes across the central belt of England and the capacity to build up to 2,000 new homes every year whilst maintaining a sector leading A+ / A2 credit rating platform. S&P Global have reviewed the combined organisation’s initial financial analysis and confirmed it continues to reflect an A+ rating, commenting: “Bromford’s currently strong financial indicators would mitigate pressure of the potential business combination, and hence we do not expect it to have an immediate impact on our rating on Bromford.” In the S&P report published yesterday, the agency pointed to the flexibility in Bromford’s robust financial plans around its investment in existing and new homes among the reasons for the housing association retaining its rating. The global ratings agency, said: “The affirmation of the A+ rating reflects our view that Bromford’s prudent cost planning and financial headroom, along with expected improvement in economic conditions, will support the group’s solid credit metrics.” The S&P report, added: “We view favourably Bromford’s flexibility over its investments in new and existing homes. With a proven track record, we expect the group to continue generating some cost efficiencies. This, along with the solid quality of the group’s existing assets, will provide Bromford the headroom to adjust costs, if needed.” Earlier in the year, the housing association held a dedicated workshop with the agency and a small group of its customers, who shared their experiences living in a Bromford home and discussed how this is taken into account by credit rating agencies. Bromford’s director of treasury Imran Mubeen said: “We’re delighted that S&P has recognised our performance over the past year by re-affirming our A+ rating with a stable outlook. The A+ stable rating is also testimony to the opportunity and capacity we can create through the proposed merger with Flagship, with £5 billion of new funding over the next 15 years delivering over 30,000 new, affordable, energy efficient homes perfectly curated within our existing financial framework and A+ rating envelope. We arrive here by design and through intent, with a full shadow credit analysis run on every iteration of the business plan we produce. This is particularly important at a time when we are seeing continued pressure in our sector and a migration to the weaker single A or BBB. “Throughout the rating process, we believe it’s important to showcase how we are delivering for our customers. It is also our responsibility to explain our business plan and treasury strategy to them. That’s why we were pleased to give S&P the opportunity to meet our customers during the year, allowing the agency to hear directly from customers about their lived experiences in their homes and their engagement with our broader services. “The confirmation of this rating, along with our A2 rating from Moody’s will support us when we return to the market to seek additional funds, helping us achieve our goals of tackling the housing crisis by building more homes, investing in our existing properties, and progressing towards net zero, all underpinned by sector leading funding deals.” Bromford has retained its rating after a year in which it has successfully unlocked its balance sheet capacity to deliver new funding through expanding its portfolio of revolving credit facilities to £450 million, securing new private placements with UK and US investors worth £100 million, and co-creating a new pathway to funding with Legal and General Investment Management worth £50 million. In June 2024, Bromford also completed a £200 million sustainability linked loan with key funding partner NatWest. Read the full report from S&P Global Ratings. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Social housing provider A2Dominion is pursuing a new approach to property development, as part of a raft of changes being brought in by the Board and Executive Management Team. Going forward the 38,000-home housing association will focus on regeneration and the redevelopment of neighbourhoods which need the greatest amount of investment to make a real and positive impact on residents and communities. The housing association is aiming to improve the quality and performance of customers’ homes and to provide affordable housing by bringing together internal expertise to improve, regenerate its existing portfolio. The new approach moves the Group away from its previous emphasis on new developments, particularly those for private sale via its FABRICA by A2Dominion brand. As a result, the Group has seen its new build programme drop from 7,817 at its peak in 2018 – when it was one of the country’s top ten developing housing associations – to 1,645 today. The move also aligns with the Group’s decision to re-focus priorities to make improvements to services following its recent downgrade. To reflect the new strategy and reduced programme, the Group intends to reduce the size of its development team by half with colleague consultation already underway. It will also take a regional approach to the delivery of its current pipeline and future projects, with dedicated teams for London and the South East. This includes a technical team focused on a regeneration-led approach to future development, whilst ensuring continuity with its current joint venture projects. Michael Reece, A2Dominion’s Chief Property Officer, said: “We remain committed to building new affordable homes for those in need, however this will be done in a slightly different way. The shift will see A2Dominion targeting the regeneration and redevelopment of properties that need the greatest investment. Our new strategy will also improve the quality and energy and environmental performance of homes to either improve, regenerate or disinvest in our existing portfolio. “This new way of developing homes and improving existing customers’ living environments is designed to build resilience and flexibility into our development programme. “We will also focus on individual investment strategies for each local authority partner which will focus on reviewing and regenerating current stock. This will also look at stock rationalisation and dis-investment in stock that distracts the Group from its core purpose. “We’ll be looking at opportunities for redeveloping and improving densification and consider stock rationalisation where necessary to fund new development opportunities within the area. “Importantly we’ll consult with our key stakeholders and focus on customer needs within that local authority, providing a tailored approach to each of the communities we serve.” “We also recognise the impact these difficult decisions have on our colleagues and appreciate their hard-work and reliance through this change” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A new affordable housing development has been officially opened in a Cotswold village. Gloucestershire-based housing association Bromford has completed the redevelopment of 14 former properties with 17 modern, energy efficient homes at Cross Tree Crescent in Kempsford. The new homes, which have all been let at social rent, the lowest cost tenure, have all got solar panels, a waste water heat recovery system and EV charging. The one and two bedroom homes were built by Bromford’s construction partners EG Carter, with the final homes handed over at the end of June. The completion of the 17 new homes is the final phase of the two stage project, which began with the redevelopment of Oakley Flats, on a site opposite Cross Tree Crescent. The 10 new homes built in the first phase, by Speller Metcalfe included four bungalows and were completed in March 2023. Bromford’s Project Manager Millie Nicholls said: “We’re really proud of the new homes we’ve built in Kempsford; they look stunning and I’m sure our customers will enjoy many happy years living here. “The former properties both here and at Oakley Flats had deteriorated over the years and were increasingly expensive for customers to heat. We decided that regenerating them would be best for our customers and the village and by doing so we have added a total of 27 affordable, energy efficient rental properties into the village. There’s a real need for more affordable housing across the Cotswolds and in rural areas in particular where local people can often be priced out of living in the area they grew up in. As one of the country’s most successful builders of affordable housing, we determined to continue developing homes to meet this demand.” Mathew Vye, Associate Director at E G Carter & Co Ltd, said: “We are delighted to have completed the final phase of the Kempsford development. Our collaboration with Bromford has been crucial in delivering these high-quality, affordable homes to the community. We hope these new properties will have a positive impact on the customers, offering them modern, energy efficient living spaces tailored to contemporary needs. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Bromford, creating more opportunities to support and enhance communities through thoughtful and sustainable development.” Bromford is the largest housing association in Gloucestershire, owning more than 12,000 homes across the county, including more than 5,000 in the Cotswold District Council area. Last month the Inside Housing Biggest Builders report named Bromford as the biggest builder of social rent homes over the past year. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Scott Black, Chief Operating Officer for Places for People. “Today’s statement from the Chancellor has our unequivocal support, we need more new homes and there is no time to waste. This is one of the most pressing issues for the UK, for economic growth, for families across the UK, and for us all at Place for People, whose mission is to build, help, and support communities across the UK. “The measures Rachel Reeves has announced today are a positive first step for housing of all tenures including much-needed new affordable homes. As well as bringing forward the delivery of new homes, our own ‘Time to Build’ research illustrated that approximately three-quarters of people also want greater investment in local infrastructure to support new housebuilding, which must not be forgotten. “Building must be scaled up now and we are ready to do our part to help. On top of mandatory housebuilding targets and a taskforce to accelerate stalled housing sites, we think more can be done to get Britain building again. “If we are to maximise investment into the sector and tackle the current housing crisis for those most in need, we need certainty and more specifically, confirmation on rent at CPI plus 1% while the financial settlement between Government and housing associations is reviewed. This would provide housing associations nationwide with the stability to invest in the homes they own and to accelerate building new homes. “This is an exciting time, and we look forward to further details of the Government’s strategy, including the greenbelt review and recruitment of 300 more people into planning which will help to get things moving again. For too long we haven’t done what is necessary to meet the nation’s supply and demand challenges, and it is great to hear the new Chancellor address some of the key barriers that have held us back for too long, so early in her tenure, a clear framework that unlocks more land for new homes and delivers planning consents quickly and efficiently is needed if we are to meet the needs of the nation. At PFP we are here to help the government get Britain Building at scale and for everyone across the UK. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Regional housing association Bromford has finalised a new sustainable finance deal with NatWest as it continues its focus on the development of new affordable, energy efficient homes. The 50,000 home social landlord has secured a £200 million sustainability linked loan with NatWest, one of the housing sector’s most prominent lenders, split into two £100 million tranches which mature in 10 and 11 years respectively. The loan will enable Bromford to build 1,300 new affordable homes, furthering its commitment to providing high-quality, affordable housing to communities across the West Midlands and West of England. Bromford’s Director of Treasury Imran Mubeen, said: “NatWest have been one of our key strategic funding partners for several years. The speed and focus with which we have closed this deal is a testimony to our relationship and underlines the ongoing importance of bank lending in our sector. We had considered a return to the capital markets this year, but we continue to refresh and optimise our new funding strategy in view of prevailing market conditions. This deal enables us to benefit from the prevailing arbitrage between the SONIA swap and gilt curve to generate significant interest savings over the life of the loan. Ultimately, this means we can invest even more in our communities and customers.” Bromford is one of the country’s leading developers of affordable housing and last year completed 1,191 new homes, including 308 for affordable rent and 551 for social rent. According to information from Inside Housing’s annual Biggest Builders survey, Bromford is ranked first in the country for the number of social rent homes completed during 2023-24 and has built more social rent homes than any other housing association in the country over the past four years1. Amanda Swann, Director of Development at Bromford said: “We exist to provide safe, affordable homes to people who are unable to access them through the market. With demand for affordable housing showing no signs of decreasing, we are committed to playing our part in tackling the housing crisis by continuing to build affordable homes. Our track record over the past few years demonstrates this commitment, especially around building homes for social rent which accounted for nearly half of all the homes we built last year. This loan from NatWest will allow us to continue our development programme to meet our ambition of building 11,000 new homes by 2032 with 65% at social and affordable rent tenures.” In line with Bromford’s commitment for all new funding to be sustainability linked, the loan with NatWest is the association’s seventh issue from its Sustainable Finance Framework which was first published and accredited in 2021. This deal is linked to Bromford-led targets focused on delivering new social rented homes and reducing Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions. Bromford will receive a discount on its interest payments if it meets the targets associated with the loan. Imran added: “Our shared vision with NatWest regarding sustainable finance created the first green loan in the sector in 2019 which focused on improving the energy efficiency of our homes and has helped to enable our decarbonisation journey with 89% of our homes now at EPC C or above. “This new deal captures our sustainability ambitions for a new era, as we continue to expand our new homes programme with a focus on social rented homes, and as we extend the focus of our carbon journey beyond EPC ratings to focus on our Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions. Importantly, the loan has the potential to generate over £1 million of interest savings if we successfully meet our sustainability targets which may challenge even the most sceptical of juries to reconsider the financial and broader benefits of sustainability linked loans.” Paul Eyre, Head of Residential and Housing Finance at NatWest Group said: “Our funding support to Bromford forms part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the social housing sector and its delivery of affordable, safe and energy efficient homes. “We announced an ambition earlier this year to provide £5bn of funding commitments to the social housing sector to December 2025.This additional funding brings our progress against this to £1.7bn. We are proud to help Bromford continue its great work of further investment in new affordable homes in the West Midlands and West of England.” Grant Vaughan, Treasury Adviser at Newbridge, said: “Having successfully accessed the private placement market in 2023, Bromford has now further diversified their funding base by securing term bank debt. This strategic move reflects Bromford’s pro-active commitment to securing competitively priced funding deals when they are in the market. The deal leverages the dislocation between the SONIA and gilt positions to deliver significant interest savings. “We at Newbridge are delighted to have supported Bromford’s treasury team in structuring, negotiating, and executing this latest sustainability-linked term loan. This collaboration not only underscores our commitment to fostering sustainable finance solutions but also highlights our ability to support our clients’ evolving financing needs in response to dynamic market conditions.” Over the past year Bromford has secured more than £650 million of sustainable finance to deliver the objectives set out in its Sustainable Finance Framework, from the delivery of new, affordable, more energy efficient homes to coaching more customers into employment and training and reducing the organisation’s gender pay gap. Legal advice was provided by Devonshires, Clarke Willmott and Trowers & Hamlins acting on behalf of Bromford and Addleshaw Goddard LLP acting on behalf of NatWest. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Together Housing has been named ‘housing association of the year’ at the Yorkshire and Humberside Energy Efficiency Awards 2024. The award reflects the social housing landlord’s ambitious plan to move over 30,000 of its homes across Yorkshire and Lancashire away from fossil fuels to renewable energy and lead the way in greener social housing. This plan is part of Together Housing’s decarbonisation strategy supporting the drive to net zero. Through all its actions, products and services, the organisation is minimising its carbon footprint by reducing waste, cutting vehicle mileage and moving to an electric fleet. In Together Housing’s approach, each home has an initial survey and ventilation assessment to check the home is suitable for energy efficiency improvements. Then, depending on the measures needed to make the home warmer and cheaper to heat, additional insulation is added along with fitting an air source heat pump and solar power system. Jon Schofield, Assistant Director of Property (Net Zero) at Together Housing, said: “I’m delighted our decarbonisation programme has been recognised in these prestigious awards. Moving towards energy efficient and greener social housing is vital to ensure a sustainable future for all our residents. “As well as improving the energy performance of our existing housing stock and helping our most vulnerable residents to live in warmer, more comfortable homes, we’re also leading the way to deliver more environmentally friendly communities across the north of England. We plan to share our lessons learnt with other housing associations so they can follow our example.” The prestigious awards recognise the great innovators and achievements in the energy efficiency industry. Energy Efficiency Awards chairman Gary Braybrooke said: “This is our 10th anniversary, and we think it’s more important than ever that we continue to honour companies and individuals working in the energy efficiency industry, carrying out some of the most vital work in the UK today. The work that they do – helping people save energy, reduce bills and help the environment – is key to all our futures.” Together Housing was also commended in the ‘large scale project of the year’ category for the landlord’s carbon retrofit booster scheme improving the energy efficiency of 581 homes in Calderdale. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Homelessness is a concern for one in five people in the UK as public urge Government to build social homes – new study can reveal today 21% of people in the UK fear they or someone they know could become homeless in the next year“Talking’s over, it’s time to build” – leading social enterprise Places for People urges whoever forms the next Government to build 90,000 social homes a year80% of UK say homelessness is a major national issue and 77% believe Government must build more social homes to tackle itPlaces for People calls for “public-interest-led development groups” to deliver quality homes communities needMore than one in five people in the UK fear they or someone they know could be homeless in the next 12 months – and 77% of the population want Government to support the building of more social homes to address the issue. A new study, released today by leading social enterprise Places for People, can reveal that 21 per cent of people living in the UK fear they or someone they know will become homeless in the next year. The worry is even greater among renters – both private (30%) and social (29%) – compared to 15% among homeowners. Latest Government data shows 3,898 people were counted as sleeping rough across England on a single night in Autumn 2023, and 121 in Wales. In Scotland, 2,438 households reported rough sleeping during the previous three months before applying for support in 2022/2023. Rough sleeping alone does not tell the whole story of the severity of homelessness. The most recent Government data shows households living in temporary accommodation is at its highest ever level with 112,660 in England, 15,625 in Scotland and 5,700 in Wales. Meanwhile, according to the most recent available data, there are 1.29million households waiting for a social home in England, 110,900 in Scotland and 90,000 in Wales. Well over three-quarters (80%) of people think that homelessness is a major national issue and a similar proportion (77%) believe Government needs to build more social homes to address the problem. 81% say Government should provide more funding to prevent homelessness. Places for People, which owns or manages more than 245,000 homes across the UK including 74,000 social homes, is calling on the next Government to put building 90,000 social homes per year as a top priority. John Greaves, Chief Impact Officer at Places for People, said: “These figures should alarm us all. What we found has bluntly exposed the worry that exists throughout the country. Sadly, however, they do not come as a surprise – for too long we have been highlighting the seriousness of the ever-growing homelessness crisis facing the UK. “With renters in both social and private properties most concerned, everything people are telling us points towards a desperate need to build more social homes, although delivering the right mix of all tenures remains vital to ease overall pressure. At Places for People, we’re doing all we can to build more quality homes, including for social rent, and we support those who have fallen on hard times and are being let down by the welfare system, but we can only do so much. “We know that building 90,000 social homes a year will be a challenge, but we’re ready to help. We see an opportunity to deepen our collaboration with partners and work closely together as part of public-interest-led development groups. This would bring developers, local authorities, members of the public and others together on larger schemes to plan and deliver the quality homes needed in a more joined-up and community-focussed way. This could be supported by giving Homes England greater flexibility over funding to deliver on more challenging sites. We want to put ourselves forward to work closely with Homes England and a local authority on a specific site to trial this model, building on the development corporation approach. “As a sector, the concerns we have raised time and time again around the need for more social homes have not been listened to by Government in recent years. So, we are now urging whoever forms the next Government to listen to the people of the UK and put delivering more social homes at the top of your priority list. Talking’s over, it’s time to build.” Places for People is doing all it can to build the quality homes needed across the UK. It completed 1,750 new homes in the last year, of which 86% are affordable, with 265 available for social rent. A further 1,944 were started in the last year, of which 74% are affordable and 210 will be available for social rent. In addition to building more homes, Places for People also supported over 10,500 people who were either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in the last year. We also fund, build and manage a range of facilities across the country to accommodate homeless people, including housing pods currently being developed in Bristol where those living there can live independently. As a social enterprise we also provide significant investment to communities around the UK through direct support and services such as white goods provision, money advice, heat and food vouchers, education, health and wellbeing and more, totalling around £300million in social value per year. The new study, conducted by Opinium on behalf of leading social enterprise Places for People, is a survey of 4,000 UK citizens. The research is being released in the weeks leading up to the General Election this summer. Read the full results table on homelessness, including a breakdown by region, click: Homelessness polling data Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Maidstone-based Golding Homes (Golding) has finalised the transfer of 180 affordable homes to NewArch Homes, a registered provider of social housing owned by a fund managed by Octopus Real Estate, a leading UK specialist real estate investor and lender. Located in Bexley, Dartford, Sevenoaks, and Wealden, the mix of 111 affordable rent, 68 shared ownership and 1 leasehold houses and flats are all between 2 and 6 years old. Housing management services will now be delivered by Southern Housing. Today’s news is the first major deployment by the Octopus Affordable Housing Strategy, which aims to accelerate the much-needed delivery of quality, affordable homes in the UK. By both funding the construction of new housing and making strategic acquisitions of high-quality existing stock, the strategy works to increase the total capital available for the supply of affordable housing. With the capital raised through its first close in December now committed and a significant element now fully invested, the strategy has demonstrated its ability to deploy funds efficiently and quickly, into high-quality homes with reputable partners, to help address a key societal challenge. Peter Merchant, Investment Director at Octopus Real Estate, said: “We’re delighted to have acquired these modern, high-quality affordable homes. At Octopus Real Estate our aim is to work with housing providers and local authorities to accelerate the delivery of affordable homes, and we’re pleased this transfer will allow Golding Homes to reinvest funds to further increase the supply of affordable housing in the local community.” Tom Casey, Director of Development and Strategic Asset Management at Golding Homes said: “The sale and transfer of these homes located outside of our core operational area, has been a strategic objective. This transfer enables us to strengthen our commitment to customers in and around the Borough of Maidstone where we’re based and deliver on our ambition to be visible, local and listening.” A key example of this strong local commitment can be seen in recent weeks, with Golding starting work on a major investment project in Shepway, Maidstone. This will see the development of 236 new, energy-efficient, affordable homes and a modern shopping area with improved landscaping and community facilities. Golding has also launched a £60million investment programme for improvements to existing homes, to be delivered over the next three years.Tom Casey continued: “As a local landlord, it’s important customers remain at the heart of all we do. We’re pleased to have worked collaboratively with NewArch Homes and their managing partner Southern Housing, to ensure this transition is smooth, and customers continue to receive a high-quality service.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Building Better, the National Housing Federation-supported group of housing associations and councils working to increase the use of modern methods of construction (MMC), has added a new manufacturer to its MMC Category 1 framework. Building Better and Procurement for Housing (PfH) have signed up ZED PODS to their volumetric framework, which is worth up to £400m over four years. Social housing organisations can procure pre-manufactured 3D construction systems for both houses and apartments from ZED PODS through the deal. ZEDPODS have been appointed to the framework on a direct award basis so housing associations and local authorities won’t need to go through any additional tender process to procure from them. Streamlining MMC contracting in this way saves around £15,000 in procurement costs for each housing organisation. The framework also enables very early engagement with ZED PODS, in a compliant way. When social housing organisations meet with manufacturers right at the start of a project and tap into their design experience to create plans that are right for all parties, this commonly leads to more successful schemes. Founded in 2016, ZED PODS design and build zero-operational-carbon social housing and specialise in delivering turnkey housing solutions using volumetric MMC. ZED PODS’ build system can be used on traditional sites and also constrained brownfield locations such as derelict garage sites, carparks, and flood zones. ZED PODS have delivered award-winning housing schemes for both local authorities and housing associations. They are presently working with 28 public sector organisations to plan and design MMC schemes, and they are currently onsite building zero-operational-carbon social homes in Sheffield, Ashford, Bristol, and across Wales and Devon. All MMC homes procured under the Building Better framework take a fabric-first approach (prioritising insulation ahead of add-ons like solar panels), they meet nationally described space standards (NDSS) and have the option to be wheelchair accessible. They are certified by the Buildoffsite Property Assurance Scheme (BOPAS) and assessed and accepted by building warranty provider ICW Insurance Services. Tony Woods, Technical Manager for Construction & Sustainability at Procurement for Housing (PfH) said: “The quality of ZED PODS’ homes really set them apart in the tender process, as well as their management team and financial position. They manufacture high performance, low carbon houses and flats that exceed the proposed Future Home Standards and the Welsh Development Quality Requirements 2021. But it was also the way they involve residents that impressed us. ZED PODS take a proactive approach to engaging early with local communities ahead of construction on site. Tom Northway, Chairman of ZED PODS, said: “We are delighted to have been selected for the Building Better framework and look forward to working with the team and its members to deliver our net zero carbon housing solutions.” In addition to the MMC Category 1 framework, Building Better and PfH also run a dynamic purchasing system (DPS) for MMC Category 2 construction systems. Through this DPS, social housing organisations can procure 2D panelised systems, assembled on-site, from over 20 pre-approved manufacturers. For further information about Building Better’s MMC Category 1 framework visit: https://buildingbetter.org.uk/procurement-route/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The UK’s leading social enterprise, Places for People has appointed Darren Dancey as the Development Managing Director for the South West. With over 30 years of experience within the property sector, Darren will prove instrumental in strengthening the region and delivering on key strategic business objectives. With extensive experience and excellent knowledge of the South West, Darren started his career at Crest Nicholson in an entry level position and progressed up the career ladder to Managing Director of the South West and Midlands regions, with six years working with the Exec Team and on the main board. He then joined Countryside for three years as Managing Director of the South West, where he successfully started and developed a new region. As one of the UK’s leading placemakers, Places for People is committed to investing in places, creating opportunities, and building thriving communities. In order to ensure that the Social Enterprise can continue to deliver new sustainable communities that address the needs of current and future customers, Places for People is committed to increasing the percentage of projects that it self-builds. In the South West, where only 20% of Places for People homes are currently built by the developer, an ambitious five-year plan is underway to transition to a point where around 70% of new homes will be self-built. In order to achieve this new strategic vision, Darren will be instrumental in growing the region. This expansion will see Places for People generate new jobs for local people across the South West, covering both office-based and on-site roles, including technical, commercial, build, sales, and marketing. Jon Cook, CEO Developments for Places for People comments:“As we seek to strengthen our offering for the communities we serve, our regions will be essential in ensuring we can achieve our target of delivering up to 5,000 homes per year within the next five years. Darren’s expertise operating at the highest level in this region will transform the operating of the region. Darren will prove to be a great asset and we are excited to see how the region continues to develop under his leadership.” Throughout 2024, Darren and his team will see work start on site at five new developments in Gillingham, Swindon, Exeter, Poundbury and Havant, providing a combined total of over 900 new homes for the region. The region is also continuing with its ongoing delivery of schemes in Bordon, Hampshire and at Poundbury in Dorset. Darren Dancey comments: “Having seen some of Places for People’s latest work through my network on LinkedIn, I was interested to discover more about the social enterprise. The group’s ethos and value is particularly inspiring and I am excited to help shape the next chapter of the South West region as we look to deliver more high-quality, affordable homes.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
